It’s New Years Eve 2015 and I’m on a flight from Brisbane bound for Sydney. We’ve just spent the past week celebrating Christmas and getting some quality family time with Cam’s side of the family. I already miss the laughter of our nieces and nephews and my stomach has definitely stretched from the continuous feasting.
As 2015 draws to a close, I reflect upon the year that was. This time last year, Cam and I were at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party – no doubt the best New Years Eve I’ve ever had. We rang in the New Year dancing with strangers, singing along to decade by decade countdown of greatest hits, drinking self-made gin and tonics from 1.25L plastic bottles and watching the spectacular fireworks show over Edinburgh Castle.
This New Year’s Eve will be different. We are exhausted from our time in Brisbane. We’ll disembark this plane, catch a taxi home, dump our bags on the floor, text our loved ones in Brisbane that we’ve arrived safe and sound, assume positions in the lounge and watch the midnight fireworks on the television. We might even open a bottle of bubbly.
Since Hogmanay 2014/2015, Cam and I have visited 19 foreign countries (including an airport stopover in Kyrgyzstan); seen the northern lights; dog sledged in Ilulissat; partied with locals in the streets of Barranquilla during Carnival; eaten rueben sandwiches at Katz’s Deli in New York City; experienced four-star luxury in the Amalfi Coast, courtesy of my dear cousins; celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at Croke Park; hot air ballooned in Cappadoccia; climbed the highest sand dune of the Gobi Desert, trekked the Great Wall of China; and survived the outrigger boat ride from El Nido to Coron. It has been an incredible year, and that was just in the first six months of 2015!
Since arriving back home to Sydney in June, I’ve renewed my appreciation of Sydney life – being able to smell fresh cut grass and bottle brush first thing in the morning; going snorkelling after work in the summertime; eating at our favourite restaurants; being surrounded by friends and family; coming back to a job and workplace that I love and my dad’s home cooking.
Amongst the stand-out post-travel achievements are Cam starting his own consultancy; landing a role as a tutor at UNSW for the MUDD program (which I graduated from); pulling off a pop-up cafe breakfast service for 30+ of our friends and family and raising more than $1000 for the Pink Ribbon Foundation with my friend Geri; and hosting family ‘pre-Christmas’ without the expertise of my Dad.
It has certainly been a rewarding year. With all that has been experienced and achieved, I can look back fondly on 2015 and welcome 2016 with renewed focus, contentment and readiness for new challenges.
As the plane descends, we can see backyard fireworks go off amongst the street lights. Midnight is an hour and a half away…It will be a great year.